


Six Weeks

by Your_Personal_Fanfic_Companion



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014), Disney - All Media Types
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Aged-Up Hiro, Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Angst and Drama, F/M, Other, Reality TV, The Bachelor AU, and fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2017-01-23
Packaged: 2018-08-11 02:37:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7872700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Your_Personal_Fanfic_Companion/pseuds/Your_Personal_Fanfic_Companion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hiro Hamada, known tech innovator, ends up as the Bachelor with 25 girls to choose from. With cameras watching his every move and the ever growing complications of his love life broadcast on the air, how on earth is he going to find the right one?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Next Bachelor

When Hiro had been approached about becoming the Bachelor for the show's next season, his first reaction had been disbelief. _Him_ as the Bachelor? The man who had girls fighting over him while he strung them along? Figuring out romance with one girl sounded difficult enough, but with twenty-five and while leading all but one of them on? Pass.

Sure, he was known well enough for the role. Everyone knew who Hiro Hamada, tech innovator and associate with the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, was and what he did. "Teen prodigy" had been the term used a lot when he'd started out. But it wasn't as if he had women swooning over him for that. He really wasn't all that interested in dating, anyway, and marriage seemed to be an entirely alien world.

So, if that was the case, why was the offer still sticking in his mind almost a week after he'd turned it down?

Tadashi hadn't exactly been a big help about it. Neither had Aunt Cass, for that matter. They thought it was an opportunity for him to go out and find a girl who was good for him. Then again, Hiro knew he couldn't really be surprised. They were the ones who'd also teased him about his love life before, after all.

Baymax was another matter. Sometimes Hiro swore the robot had been staring at him a lot more than usual, as if silently analyzing what was going on through his brain.

It was in the late afternoon after the cafe had closed and Aunt Cass had retired early when Baymax finally spoke up about it. By that point, Hiro was looking over blueprints on his laptop for the hundredth time that day at one of the tables. "You seem to be exhibiting symptoms of boredom."

"What?" Hiro didn't look up.

"Boredom. Also known as lethargy, the result of a lack of stimulating activity," Baymax continued beside him. "Symptoms of boredom include slower movement, glassiness in eyes—"

"I know, I know!" Hiro interrupted, waving it off as he typed onto one of the blueprints. He nudged his foot a little at Mochi, who was winding around his ankles again. "I'm not _bored_ , Baymax, I'm just—I'm just tired."

"Tired from what?" Tadashi interjected nonchalantly, the bell ringing as he pushed open the door with his foot. He heaved slightly as he carried in the groceries, making his way towards the counter. "You've been in here all day."

"Exhaustion from being indoors is not entirely unheard of," Baymax said. "This can result from certain illnesses, such as—"

"I'm not sick!" Hiro replied quickly. That didn't stop Baymax from putting one large hand on his forehead anyway. Behind him, he heard Tadashi snort along with the thump of the grocery bags and boxes. Mochi, apparently sensing Hiro didn't want him at the moment, made his way towards the health care robot instead.

"Your temperature is roughly thirty-seven Celsius and ninety-eight degrees Fahrenheit," Baymax said placidly as Mochi started nudging his leg. "This is the normal body temperature. However, your body heat has also increased in the past minute. The cause of body heat is not necessarily illness, but can be related to it."

"Definitely lovesickness when he goes on the Bachelor show," Tadashi snarked from where he was in unloading the groceries.

 _"Hey!"_ Hiro shot defensively. "Who said I was going on there?"

"You were thinking about it," Tadashi answered smoothly, taking out several jars of jelly. "Come on, Hiro, Baymax said it himself-you're bored."

"Another symptom of boredom is agitation," Baymax put in helpfully, now holding Mochi in his arms and stroking his back. Having finally found attention, the cat was purring in a state of bliss.

"So?" Hiro turned back to his laptop. Leave it to nosy older brothers to pick up where the nosy inflatable healthcare companion left off. But at least it was the healthcare companion's job to be nosy.

Then again, he could also say that for the aforementioned older brother.

Tadashi sighed. _"So,_ that means you need something to do, right? Why not give the Bachelor thing a shot?"

"I told you," Hiro replied shortly. "What's the point? It's all fake anyway. It's a 'reality' show, remember?"

"That doesn't mean you won't find a girl who likes you when the cameras are off," Tadashi pointed out. "There's, what, like at least fifteen of them? Twenty?"

"Twenty-five," Hiro corrected dryly. "That's what the producer said, anyway."

"A-ha!" Tadashi pointed at him triumphantly. "It's been six days since you got the call. You were thinking about it if you remembered that!"

Hiro felt his face burning as he ducked his head to focus even more than usual on his laptop. "I—oh, shut up. That doesn't mean you're right, y'know!"

"But you were thinking about it." He could feel Tadashi's smug grin practically burning into his head. In the pause, Mochi's purring seemed to be even louder.

"So what if I was thinking about it?" Hiro mumbled. "I don't—look, I just don't know, Tadashi, okay? What if—"

He cut himself off. How was he going to put this? He already felt stupid saying it out loud. "What if they don't like me? I haven't gone out with a girl in...god, forever. What am I—just-what am I even supposed to say to them?"

Hiro didn't look up, staring at his laptop screen but not really seeing it. Finally, there was a _screech_ against the floor tiles as Tadashi pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down.

"Hey," Tadashi said softly. "Listen. Knucklehead."

That got a snort out of Hiro, although he still didn't look up.

"I know it looks—well, okay, kind of scary," Tadashi continued seriously. "I get it."

"Really?" Hiro raised his eyebrows.

"I—well, not—that's not the point!" Tadashi defended himself, and Hiro couldn't help but snicker. "The _point_ is, Hiro, think of this as a chance to-to get out there. Be _active_. Find someone who cares about you—"

 _"You_ care about me," Hiro shot back. "So does Aunt Cass. And Baymax."

"—who'll make you happy—" Tadashi continued doggedly.

"Well, sometimes you annoy me beyond all reason, but you do that too," Hiro countered. "And so does Aunt Cass. And Baymax."

Tadashi groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You really don't want to make this easy for me, do you?"

"Look, I get where you're coming from," Hiro sighed. "I appreciate it, Tadashi. Seriously. And okay, yeah, I was thinking about it, but...twenty-five girls fighting over me every day? Not really my idea of a good time."

He added the last part in as dry a tone as he could manage. Tadashi, unfortunately, was undeterred.

"Not even if they're _pretty_ girls?" Tadashi leaned in far too close for comfort. Hiro rolled his eyes.

"Tadashi-"

"Hey, hey, I'm just saying!" Tadashi held up his hands defensively. "All I'm saying is, this could be your _chance_. Twenty-five girls, Hiro, and you don't have to marry anyone if you don't want to. Statistics mean at least one of them will like you."

"I'm pretty sure that's not how math works," Hiro deadpanned.

"I could get Baymax to scan them if you really want to!" Tadashi practically jumped up from the chair, dramatically gesturing to the inflatable medical robot still handling the cat in its puffy arms. "Baymax, would you scan women for their compatibility with Hiro?"

"I will scan individuals of the female gender for compatibility with Hiro if necessary," Baymax replied, looking up. "Signs of compatibility include genetics, body structure, levels of—"

"Okay, okay—okay— _I am satisfied with my care!"_ Hiro interrupted hastily over Baymax's listing of how he would matchmake. Automatically, Baymax's arms dropped to his side—leaving Mochi to drop with a yowl of surprise and scamper away—and he turned abruptly to waddle up the stairs towards his medical kit, as the words required him to do. Tadashi watched him go, glancing between him and Hiro as Hiro slumped in his chair.

"You really had to bring Baymax into this, huh?" Hiro meant to make it sound semi-accusing, but it just came out as flat.

"I did what I had to!" Tadashi then chose that moment to give him the infamous puppy eyes, and Hiro wasn't sure whether to groan or to laugh.

As much as he hated to admit it, though, Tadashi had a point. It wasn't like the opportunity to have a bunch of girls to choose from came along every day, and what exactly did he have to lose?

At worst, he'd have spent six weeks—it _was_ six weeks, wasn't it?—becoming friends with women he wouldn't be dating long-term, and that wasn't entirely unappealing, either. Tadashi had said before that Hiro could use more friends, after all.

"Boys! C'mon, it's hot wings night!" Aunt Cass called from upstairs.

"Anything you want to say to Aunt Cass?" Tadashi nudged him jokingly. "She still hasn't let up about it, y'know."

Hiro laughed. "Yeah, I could've guessed."

When they got upstairs for dinner, however, Aunt Cass didn't say anything about it. At least not out loud. But afterwards, when she turned on the TV, a rerun of the last season of _The Bachelor_ came on.

That was when Hiro made up his mind.

One week later, Hiro was in a limousine on his way to the mansion he'd be living in for six weeks as the next Bachelor.


	2. The Game Begins

Waiting around in a suit outside a mansion was just as awkward as Hiro had expected it to be. And a bit too nerve-wrecking, though it wasn’t like he’d admit that. More than once, he’d found himself trying (and failing) to smooth down his hair at least a little. Fred had told him to let up on it because “ladies looove messy hair”, although Hiro was doubtful about just how much romantic expertise Fred actually had as opposed to what he claimed he had.

Still, Fred and Wasabi were friendly hosts. He’d known them mainly as Tadashi’s friends before, but they were cool on their own. Fred was hosting because the mansion being used for the show was owned by his family, while Wasabi was also hosting because...well, he hadn’t exactly told Hiro why, but Hiro assumed it was to keep an eye on him for Tadashi while the show was recording.

Thanks to watching every re-run of _The Bachelor_ he could get his hands on, Hiro was pretty sure he had a good sense of what he was supposed to do. In the first episode, he was supposed to meet each girl as she stepped out of her limo and let her introduce herself to him before she went inside. After the introductions were over, he’d choose which of the girls had made the best first impression in that short time frame and give her the “First Impression” rose. Then he’d pick twenty-five of the other girls to give roses to, leaving three to go home.

He ran his hand through his hair again, letting out a long breath. He could do this. It was only going to be six weeks, Hiro reminded himself. He doubted this whole thing was going to be a successful quest for finding true love, as the show seemed to bill itself, but he might as well enjoy the ride, right?  
Of course, there was the problem of remembering every single girl’s name. But the production team had reassured him they had flash cards for him to use prior to every rose ceremony if need be, so there was that, at least.

And, as Tadashi had stressed to him earlier, he had to “be himself”. Hiro doubted he could do that completely, given that this was reality television, but he’d try. He had to be nice to all of the girls, give each of them a fair shot, and hope there wouldn’t be more needless drama than necessary for the network ratings.

It was when he was starting to fiddle with his tie that the first limousine pulled up. Immediately, he let go and straightened up into the best posture he could manage. _Well, here it comes._

  
The first girl stepped out of the limo, dressed in pink satin with glasses and her dark brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail. She made her way up to Hiro, offering a tentative smile, and Hiro smiled back.

“Hello,” he said as he held out his hand, if only because that was the first thing that came to mind, and then he kicked himself for how awkward that sounded.

“Hi,” the girl returned, taking his hand and shaking it briefly. “I’m Margo. It’s, uh—it’s nice to meet you.”

Her gaze dropped to the side, and Hiro could’ve sworn her face was redder than it had been before. He cleared his throat clumsily.

“It’s nice to have you here,” he replied warmly, using the first thing that came to mind. “I hope you enjoy it.”

It looked like it had worked, because Margo’s smile seemed a bit brighter. “Thanks."

Hiro wasn’t sure what else to say, so he smiled back awkwardly until she was moving on towards the mansion and out of sight. Then he took a deep breath and turned to anticipate the next ones.

After Margo was Yori, a dark-haired lady in a backless golden dress with a bright smile and a quick hug for Hiro that felt awkward, but at least she seemed nice enough. Then there was Erica, a girl with dyed cherry red hair and a sequined dress to match who shook his hand so hard he seriously thought for a second it’d come off, and then Tori, an eerily pale brunette in a lacy black dress, spider web-patterned fingerless gloves, enough eyeliner to fill a whole container, and an expression that looked like she was staring into Hiro's soul the entire time he shook her hand. He had to take a bit of a breath after she left.

Next was Cat, a slim brunette in a dark blue gown with paler blue gloves, who blushed when she spoke and stumbled over her words so much that Hiro couldn’t make out half of what she said. But he still smiled at her as if he’d understood everything to avoid embarrassing her in front of the cameras and shook her hand, although he was afraid she’d faint at the last part, and he wondered, as she walked off, if she’d been wearing gloves to hide the sweat on her hands.

After Cat, a blonde confidently sashayed up to him. She smiled sweetly, showing off an elegant figure in a black chiffon gown with a sheer red wrap draped around her arms.

“I’m Kay,” she said warmly, extending her hand. “I’m from Los Angeles, and I’m majoring in business.”

He returned the smile tentatively, taking her hand and shaking it. “Business, huh? Not my forte, but I bet you’re better at that than I could be.”

“I wouldn’t say that, but thank you,” Kay replied sweetly. “I’ve heard a lot about your technology, Mr. Hamada. It’s a pleasure.”

Hiro wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he just smiled again as they let go of each other’s hands and, thankfully, she took the cue to go on towards the mansion. She seemed different in a way from the previous girls, poised and with an almost aristocratic air.

He braced himself as another limo arrived and, not even a full second after it’d stopped, the door opened. A brunette in a silver sequined minidress with a plunging neckline and matching shoes stepped out, smiling widely to flash blindingly white teeth at him before introducing herself as Alexa. One awkward exchange of hellos and a handshake later, she was off towards the mansion and Hiro was wondering how she could walk in those ridiculously high and thin heels without tripping.

After her came Marianne, a brunette in a red and white silk shantung gown. She informed him she’d thought of him every day for three months straight after introducing herself, something Hiro wasn’t sure was exactly necessary right off the bat, before shaking his hand with a flutter of her eyelashes and strutting away. Hiro let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding after she left.

A few moments later, a brunette with glasses in a one-shouldered jade green dress strode up. He straightened up involuntarily and held out his hand.

“Hey there.” That sounded stupider than it did in his head coming from him and he internally cringed, but there wasn’t any going back from that. “And you are?”

“I’m Marys.” She took his hand and shook it in a businesslike manner, offering a sheepish smile. “Marys Iosama. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Marys?” Hiro blurted out without thinking. “That’s—uh, wow, never heard that one before. I mean—I’ve heard _Mary_ , but—”

He cut himself off before he could keep rambling. “Well, you know. Sorry, I was— surprised.”

Mary— _Marys—_ let out a laugh. “That’s okay. You have no idea how many times I had to correct people—got the same reaction, so I got used to it. Kind of had to if I didn’t want to lose my mind.”

“Yeah, well...” Hiro laughed nervously. “It’s, uh, good to meet you too. I’ll definitely catch you later.”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” Marys beamed at him before leaving, which might or might not have had something to do with the sudden flip in his stomach. He took a deep breath once she was out of sight. Focus, you idiot.

The next young lady to arrive looked to be a little older than Hiro, which was slightly unnerving, but something told him she wouldn't be the last to be so. Her brown hair was done up in a neat bun, and she was wearing an elegant white dress that for some reason reminded Hiro of a space suit.

She strode up to him and gave him a lopsided smile, confident but still quite earnest. "Hey."

He grinned back. "Hey. Hiro Hamada."

"Hi, Hiro. My name's Abigail. Abigail Callaghan."

 _Callaghan_...the name seemed familiar. He frowned at her slightly. "Have we met before? You seem familiar somehow."

She cocked her head a little, but her smile didn't falter. "Not that I remember..."

Hiro shook his head. "Ah, never mind. I'm probably thinking of someone else—anyway, it's great to have you here."

"It's great to be here," she replied. "Look forward to spending time with you—you know, when we're not too busy putting on a show for these guys." She nodded discreetly toward the cameras with a smirk.

Hiro scoffed. "Hah. Yeah, tell me about it."

Abigail laughed and bade him a quick farewell before disappearing into the mansion. Hiro nodded gladly to himself as she left. She'd also seemed pretty cool, but he just wished he could remember where he'd heard that name before.

He turned to wait for the next one, but to his surprise she was already getting out of the limo. The next girl, a redhead in a flowery green dress, was silent as she walked up to him, though she had a slight aura of anxiety about her.

“Hi,” Hiro greeted, trying to soothe her nerves a bit. “I’m Hiro Hamada. Nice to meet you.”

She offered a shy smile. “Hi...I’m MK.”

Hiro raised an eyebrow. “MK? Huh. Does that...stand for something?”

“Oh, sorry...Mary Katherine. But I usually just go by MK.”

“Ohhh, pretty cool.” He paused and observed the girl subconsciously hug herself, shifting uncomfortably in her heels. Poor thing. She must not be used to being in front of the camera, especially knowing she’d be on TV for potentially over a month. Hiro could relate.

He smiled at her again and put his hands in his pockets, trying to turn her attention back to him. “So...you excited to be here?”

MK nodded. “Yeah, very excited! I’ve never been on TV before…”

“Heh, it’s really not so bad. You don’t seem like the type who would do something dumb on TV. Now _me_ , on the other hand…”

She laughed. “Nah...I don’t think so.”

They both snickered for a moment, with MK looking just the slightest bit more relaxed as they did so. Hiro then nodded toward the huge mansion. “Anyway...I’ll see you soon, ok?”

MK nodded with relief. “Ok. It was nice to meet you, Hiro.” With that she speed-walked up toward the mansion, as fast as she could in her high heels. She almost looked like she was trying to escape, but Hiro couldn’t blame her—in fact, he was almost jealous that the ladies got to escape from the camera every once in a while.

Hiro's feet were starting to hurt a little from waiting there, and he only hoped the cameras weren't catching how fidgety he was. Huffing, he watched as another limo pulled up, and was surprised to see not one but two young women step out of it.

Hiro blinked in surprise, studying the two. One of them was a bouncy redhead, wearing a green dress and a huge smile, with her hair done up in a complicated bun. The other was a platinum blonde in a sparkly ice-blue dress, who smiled elegantly at him as she stepped out.

Noticing his confusion, the redhead giggled. "We're sisters," she explained.

"...oh," Hiro replied awkwardly. For some reason he didn't like the sound of that. "I-I see. Nice to meet you, er..."

"Anna," the redhead chirped, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you too, Hiro!"

He was a bit surprised at her strength, but grinned back at her. She was a feisty one, alright.

The same couldn't be said about her sister, though. The blonde felt more like a silent and elegant goddess when she smiled and walked over to him. "And I'm Elsa," she said smoothly. "It's a pleasure, Mr. Hamada."

"I—uh, the pleasure's all mine," Hiro replied, awkwardly as usual. For some reason he suddenly felt the urge to kiss her hand, though he didn't know why. Elsa had the vibe of some classy old European royalty, the kind that always expected you to kiss a lady's hand. He didn't, of course, but how weird.

Right after the two sisters left, another arrived and Hiro had to shut his eyes for a moment. This girl looked just like Elsa and Anna, and Hiro prayed she wasn't another relative. He'd seen how dramatic the show could get, how much worse would it be if half the contestants were family members??

Smiling politely as the purple-clad blonde got out of her car, Hiro repeated the drill. "Hey," he greeted. "Hiro Hamada. And you are?"

"Hi! I'm Rapunzel!" She replied, clasping his hand with both of hers. "I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Hamada! It's so nice to actually meet you!"

Hiro couldn't help but grin. "Th-thanks...it's nice to meet you too."

Once she was gone, Hiro took another deep breath, reminding himself there were still plenty more to go. It wasn’t long before the next one stepped out of the limo. She was slim with long black hair that swept the shoulders of her purple chiffon dress, occasionally brushing back strands as she walked up.

He offered a smile. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she returned, her smile tentative.

“What’s your name?” Hiro was inwardly proud that he hadn’t stumbled over that, at least. He was making progress here.

“Violet. Violet Parr,” she added. “It’s—wow, it’s so amazing to be here. And it’s amazing meeting you too, Mr—Mr. Hamada.”

The awe was almost palpable in her voice, something about it striking Hiro as sincere rather than an act for the cameras. He liked that.  
“It’s fine, just call me Hiro,” he found himself saying with a slight laugh. “‘Mr. Hamada’ makes me feel old. I’m—uh, really glad you like it here.”

Funny that he’d corrected her about his name and no one else. Violet’s smile seemed warmer at that, though, and Hiro’s attention lingered—maybe more than it should have—on how it brightened her eyes.

“I’ll, um, see you around then?” Hiro had no idea why that came out like a question, since it was a given he’d have to get to know her later as part of the show.

“Definitely.” Violet beamed at him before making her way to the mansion. For some reason, Hiro watched her leave until she was well out of sight before turning back around.

The next girl stepped out of her limo, and Hiro had to blink for a moment to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. For a second this girl almost looked like an actual vampire, with her pale skin, jet black hair and dark, cover-all dress to match. He had to say though, if she was a vampire, she sure was the happiest one he’d ever seen.

The girl looked around the mansion with all the joy of a child at an amusement park, before her gaze finally landed on Hiro. She gave a tiny squeal and bounded up to him, holding out a hand.

“H-hi,” she greeted cutely with a wide (thankfully fangless) smile. “...uh, are you...the Bachelor?” she seemed to be looking him up and down as he spoke.

Hiro grinned back, albeit a bit awkwardly. “That’s me. Name’s Hiro Hamada. And you are?”

She giggled as they shook hands. “Mavis. My name is Mavis.”

“Mavis, huh?” Hiro repeated. “That’s a really nice name.”

Mavis clasped her hands together and looked downward with a blush. “Th-thanks…”

It was quiet for a second, and Hiro briefly wondered how on earth she wasn’t hot in that dress, what with the sun being so bright and all.

“No, it’s fine,” Mavis replied, surprising him. “I’m not really a big fan of sunlight anyway.”

Hiro’s mouth dropped in surprise. Shit, he’d have to stop saying his thoughts out loud if he didn’t want to embarrass himself. “U-uh, sorry…” he apologized. “I didn’t mean to sound rude or anything…”

Mavis giggled again. “No, it’s ok, you didn’t sound rude. I get that a lot.”

“Oh...right…”

“Anyway, see you inside?”

“Sure. It was nice meeting you, Mavis.”

Her eyes brightened a bit as she waved goodbye. “You too, Hiro! Bye!”

Another contestant arrived, this one having an awestruck look on her face as she stepped out. Hiro couldn’t help but chuckle. With her blonde hair and bright, multi-colored dress, this girl looked like the literal personification of joy and happiness.

“Cooool!” the girl exclaimed, looking up at the mansion.

“Hey,” Hiro called, getting her attention. “Nice to meet you. I’m Hiro,”

The girl’s smile somehow got even wider when she turned to him. “Hi! I’m Riley Andersen. I like your hair!”

Hiro blinked in confusion. “My...hair?”

“Yeah. It’s all spiky, like a cool anime character. How’d you do that?”

Hiro hesitated for a moment, but then, realizing she meant it as a compliment, smiled. Looks like Fred hadn’t been totally off the mark with the hair thing. “Well, uh...it comes naturally, I guess.”

“Awesome.” She then turned to the mansion once more. “This place looks pretty sweet.”

“Yeah, as long as you don’t mind sharing…”

“Nope!” she replied bluntly. Turning back to him, she flashed one more smile, before starting off. “Anyway...see you inside!”

“Bye, Riley.” He watched her go as she left, laughing softly to himself. This one was a bit random, but she seemed like a kind person overall.

Yet another limo pulled up, and the girl that got out this time was a beautiful redhead. Her orange hair was loose and draped around her shoulders, accenting perfectly with her sparkly green dress.

Hiro cocked his head curiously at the sight of her. She was gorgeous, alright. Let's see what she's got to offer...

"Hi," Hiro greeted for the umpteenth time. "Hiro Hamada. Nice to meet you."

She smiled sweetly. "Hi. I'm Audrey," Her voice was quiet and quite relaxing, Hiro noted. She kinda reminded him of Aunt Cass in a way.

Audrey left as quickly as she came. Something about her reminded Hiro of a summer breeze, but he wasn't sure if that was good or bad. No worries, though, it wasn't as if he wouldn't see her again.

The next contestant to arrive had a cheeky grin on her face from the moment she got out of the limo, making Hiro raise an eyebrow in amusement. She was quite short compared to the rest, and her round cheeks made her seem younger than she actually was. Her cute mint-green dress also gave off a childlike vibe and her jet-black hair was done up in a simple ponytail. If it wasn't for the fact that she was arriving in a limo, Hiro would have sworn she was here by mistake.

"Hiya!" The girl chirped, strutting up to him and holding out her hand. "How are ya?"

Hiro grinned as he shook her hand. She had a carefree vibe about her, much different from the polite elegance of the previous ladies. He liked it.

"I'm doing great," he replied. "Name's Hiro Hamada. And you?"

"Nice to meet ya, Hiro. I'm Vanellope."

"Vanellope?" he mused. "That's a...unique name, alright."

"Yeah, it's like Penelope...but with a _flair~"_

Hiro laughed. "Well, it's great to meet you, Penelope With a Flair. I look forward to seeing you later."

Vanellope smirked widely at him, but at that moment it was time for her to leave. Hiro watched her go with a smile, then turned back around to wait for the next one. _Well, good,_ he thought to himself. It was good to see that some of the contestants had a sense of humor, at least. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

Hiro straightened up when the next limo came in, rolling back his shoulders. The limo had barely come to a stop before the door opened, with a curly-haired redhead in a dark green gown stepping out. He found himself wondering for a split second if all the girls with red hair had made a pact to wear green.

He held out his hand. “Hi, I’m—”

“Merida,” she interrupted, shaking his hand firmly. “Merida DunBroch. You’re Hiro Hamada, aren’t ya? I’ve heard a lot about ya.”

“Uh—yeah, that’s me,” Hiro replied, taken rather off-guard. This one definitely didn’t beat around the bush. He offered a smile. “It’s, um—nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet ya, too.” Merida smiled back slightly before looking around. “This’ll be an interesting experience, yeah? Never been on TV before, y’know.”

“Ah—same here.” Hiro followed her gaze, which was at the mansion, before looking back at her. “But I guess we’ll both have to get used to it, right?”

Merida shrugged. “Guess so. I’ll see ya later, Hamada.”

“See ya, DunBroch,” Hiro returned jokingly, which Merida grinned at before leaving. Once she was gone, he looked back towards the limo.

After Merida was a blonde in a silver and red dress who strode up to him. She had a much more serious expression on her face than the previous girls, looking around to survey the place with the air of someone thrown into an entirely alien setting. Not that Hiro could blame her, given that a part of him still couldn’t entirely believe this was actually happening.

He smiled politely at her, extending a hand. “Hey.”

“Hi. Astrid,” she said curtly, shaking his hand briskly before letting go—a no-nonsense type, Hiro thought.

“Hiro,” he returned. “Astrid, huh? That’s a nice name, never heard that before.”

Maybe going after a different subject other than the stock “nice to meet you” card was risky, but the girl looked so serious that Hiro wanted to try something else just to lighten things up a bit. It worked, sort of, because she smiled slightly.

“Thanks. Never heard ‘Hiro’ before, either, I’m guessing you get a lot of jokes about that,” she answered dryly.

Hiro had to laugh a little at that. “Oh, yeah. Gets old after a while, but it could be worse.”

“Definitely,” Astrid agreed. “I’ll see you around.”

“See you then.” Hiro watched as she went on to the mansion, thinking back on the limo. A few more from that to go, he thought, then the next limo would show up. _Sheesh, how long does this go on?_

He turned to greet the next contestant, straightening his shoulders before he saw who it was. The next one had auburn hair, brown eyes, a red satin gown, and a smile his stomach dropped at when he realized where he’d seen it before.

“Oh my god,” he whispered.

She held out her hand. “Hi, I’m—”

“You’re Penny Forrester!” Hiro interrupted, gaping breathlessly. “Holy shit, I didn’t—you’re—oh my god, I can’t believe you’re actually _here!”_

“Uh…” Penny’s smile noticeably faltered and she glanced around before answering quietly, “You might not want to swear right now, you’ll get bleeped out.”

“Oh—oh, yeah, right,” Hiro fumbled, feeling his face heat up. He cleared his throat before taking a breath and holding his hand out. “Right—uh, sorry about that, I just— really loved your show, used to watch it all the time when I was a kid. I was—uh, big fan. _A_ big fan.”

“Thanks, I’m glad you liked it,” Penny replied, her smile returning—although now much more awkward—as she took his hand and gave it a brief shake. “Don’t sweat it, I get that a lot.”

Hiro managed a grin, although internally he was kicking himself as hard as he could. Great, he’d just blown it before he’d even given her a chance to introduce herself. Dammit, why’d I just go into annoying fanboy mode? Now she’ll never take me seriously.

“I had no idea you were gonna be here, honestly,” Hiro added hastily. “No one told me, so I was just, uh—really surprised, y’know?”

Something in Penny’s expression relaxed, becoming a little less stiff, and she laughed slightly. “It’s fine. It wouldn’t be a show without some surprises, right?”

Hiro let out a feeble laugh. “Good point. It’s, uh, a real pleasure to have you here.”

“Pleasure’s mine,” Penny returned gently, before heading on towards the house. Hiro exhaled as soon as she’d left, running his hands back through his hair. Focus, Hiro. Don’t be an idiot.

But it was hard not to—well, act like one, at least. It didn’t help that he’d had a crush on the character Penny had played back then, even though he knew it was only a fictional character and the real Penny was most likely nothing like her in the least. And even if she had been anything like the character, it’d been, what, seven years since the show had been cancelled? Eight or nine? Plenty of time for a person to change a lot.

After Penny left, the next contestant arrived. Out of the limo stepped a short, curvy young black girl with curly hair and striking green eyes. She smoothed out her light turquoise dress, looking nervous for a moment as she scanned both Hiro and the surroundings. But then, she quickly straightened up with a smile, striding up to Hiro with her hand outstretched.

"Hey there," she greeted, giving him a lopsided grin.

"Hey," Hiro replied coolly. "Hiro Hamada. And you are?"

She giggled. "Gratuity Tucci—but you can call me Tip."

He chuckled. "Tip Tucci, huh? Interesting. Just rolls off the tongue."

"Same to you, Hiro Hamada. We're like the alliteration squad, aren't we?"

Hiro laughed. "Yeah, that's true—anyway, uh...you excited?"

Tip giggled. "A little nervous, but yeah! Definitely excited."

"Same here. I'll see you soon, then."

"See ya, alliteration buddy!" She gave Hiro a friendly punch on the shoulder and one last giggle, before scurrying happily up to the mansion.

Hiro rubbed his shoulder slightly and shifted his weight in his aching feet. What a cutie. This one sure had a lot of personality, didn't she? Well, come to think of it, they all did, didn't they? All of them were so different, and yet they'd all be vying for his attention in the coming weeks...ah, how was he supposed to choose which one he liked best??

Hiro shook the thoughts out of his head. No, he could think about that later—right now, there were still more contestants to greet.

By the time the last limo arrived, Hiro was aching to get back into the mansion and just get the first night over with. But it was only one more. Just one more, and hopefully he wouldn’t blow it just when he’d gotten through all the introductions without saying something really stupid.

The first to climb out was a blonde in flowing magenta chiffon and large glasses in a matching color. Her hair was tied up into a messy bun with the strands falling out, her smile bright and infectious.

She practically bounded up to Hiro, which he had to marvel at because of the chunky heels she was wearing. “Hey!”

“Hey,” Hiro returned, grinning as he extended his hand. “And you are?”

“I’m Marisol,” she replied cheerfully, shaking the proffered hand vigorously. “But you can call me Honey Lemon—everyone else does. It’s great to be here.”

“Well, it’s great to meet you, Honey Lemon,” Hiro answered lightly, and he meant it. “I hope you enjoy it here.”

“Definitely.” Honey Lemon beamed and, much to his surprise, kissed him on the cheek before departing for the mansion. His face now felt uncomfortably warmer than it had been a second ago.

Well, that’d been...a surprise, but he wasn’t complaining. She was nice.

Once Honey Lemon was gone, however, Hiro was definitely ready to go back inside. She had to have been the last one, right? There’d definitely been over twenty of them, that was for sure. Twenty-five, wasn’t it? He was pretty sure he’d counted.  
He was still thinking about whether or not he’d counted right when he realized another girl, one in a simple black illusion neckline dress and with several purple streaks in her short hair, was walking towards him from the last limousine. She’d been so quiet he hadn’t even noticed.

Hiro stuck out his hand. “Uh—hi.”

“Hey,” she replied simply, taking his hand and grasping it in a brief shake before letting go. She was chewing something, which Hiro found out was gum that second when she blew a small pink bubble and popped it just as quickly.

“My name’s Hiro,” Hiro went on, waiting for her introduction. “And yours?”

“GoGo,” came the deadpan reply.

Hiro raised his eyebrows. “GoGo, huh? That’s a—that’s a, definitely a new one.”

She stared at him for a moment that felt painfully long, during which Hiro was seized with panic that he’d offended her until she spoke. “Real name’s Ethel, but GoGo works better.”  
She blew and popped another bubble. Hiro relaxed slightly.

“Well, uh—it’s nice to meet you, GoGo,” he replied. “I, uh, hope you like it here.”

The corner of GoGo’s mouth quirked very slightly as she chewed, but if it was a smile, it went as fast as it came. “Thanks.”

Without another word, she headed inside. Hiro watched her go, letting out a long breath. Well, that’d been...something. He wasn’t sure what, but hopefully it wasn’t bad.

He glanced back at the entrance gate, where the last limousine had been, which was now being shut and locked by security. That’d been the last one, alright. Taking a deep breath, he turned and walked towards the mansion to face the women he’d be choosing from for six weeks.


	3. The First Night

It hadn’t taken long for the cliques to start forming, which Alexa noticed as the hours passed. Some seemed to have been established right off the bat between the ones who already knew each other, like those two sisters and the girl in purple--probably a cousin or something--and the tough-looking blonde and redhead pair.

She surveyed the room from her spot near the corner, sipping from her red wine cooler as she watched more girls come in one by one through the door. “Studying the competition,” she liked to call it.

Alexa wasn’t stupid. She knew her introduction to Hiro could have gone better, and it’d been obvious he’d only been polite to her, nothing else. She’d put her best face forward--although maybe her grin had been a bit forced, now that she thought about it--and that evidently hadn’t been enough. But she wasn’t surprised, it was never enough on shows like this.

This whole thing wasn’t really about _Hiro_ , anyway. Oh, he _was_ good-looking, no doubt about it. Much better than the stereotypical engineer nerd. She was definitely way more interested than him than she’d ever been in her ex-boyfriends. But the game of reality television was to win, and if there was one thing Alexa was sure of beyond a doubt, it was that she’d never lose. Winning over a guy against twenty-four other girls was a piece of cake compared to all the other grueling humiliations of reality shows she’d seen.

Said twenty-four other girls were still just arriving and mingling with each other, a steady hum of chatter in the air over the noise of clinking glasses and bottles. Alexa had to admit that none of them really looked like the catty type out to scratch each other’s eyes out, as she’d come to expect on this kind of show, but the key word was _looked_. Further time spent in a mansion with cameras watching all the time and romantic entanglements involved would definitely bring out the claws over the weeks.

She took another long, slightly heady sip from her wineglass. A girl in a red gown who had recently come in, she noticed, was sitting by herself on a loveseat. She was toying with her glass rather than actually drinking from it, sometimes tucking back her hair.

Alexa looked again. The girl seemed familiar, somehow. Hadn’t she seen that face before somewhere? The feeling was odd, since she was sure she’d know if she’d spoken to someone before and she’d never said a word to this one, but--

Wait. That couldn’t be _Forrester_ , could it? Penny Forrester? The star of that dog show she’d seen once in reruns as a kid. She’d made appearances since in other works and movies, miraculously dodging the usual cards of drug abuse and rehab that were dealt to child actors. What was she doing here?

The brunette frowned to herself. She hadn’t been counting on a celebrity--a minor one, but still--possibly mucking up her chances. This made the playing field a little harder than she’d been expecting it to be. Women like her who’d signed up and tried for the show at the appropriate places were one thing, but one with pre-established fame was entirely another. 

Curious, she sipped once more from her wineglass and sidled over towards the loveseat. The celebrity in question--Forrester--gave a noticeable start and looked up, clearly surprised.

Alexa put forward her sweetest smile. “Hi. Can I sit here?”

Forrester looked briefly to be at a loss for words before recovering. “Oh--um, sure. I mean, sure, I don’t mind.”

She put her glass on the coffee table before shifting over on the loveseat. Alexa smoothly sat down, crossing one leg over the other and cradling her wineglass in her hand as she did.

“So.” She kept her tone perfectly neutral, polite but not overly friendly so as to seem superficial. “You’re Penny Forrester, right?”

She pretended to be interested in her wineglass, but she watched Forrester intently out of the corner of her eye. She had to wait to gauge the exact reactions she expected.

Forrester smiled slightly, although it was clearly stiff. “Ah--uh, yeah, that’s me. What’s your name?”

Alexa took a small, slow sip from her wine before answering. “Alexa. Alexa Barton. I’m majoring in history.”

“Oh, really?” There didn’t seem to be any sarcasm or maliciousness in her tone-- none that Alexa could detect, anyway. She was an actress, after all. “That sounds cool. Never really got into history, but…”

“Yes, I’m aware.” Alexa absently paused for another sip, glancing over at Forrester. She seemed rather nonplussed--almost _surprised_ at the response, and Alexa wanted to roll her eyes. The actress couldn’t possibly be hoping to keep up her “wholesome good girl” appearance for that long, she wasn’t that good at acting. “You’re still in acting, right? I saw your show. ‘Bolt’, right?”

“Oh--yeah, that.” Now she looked slightly embarrassed. “Yeah, that was the show. It was a really long time ago, though--and lately I’ve been trying to get more into--well, making my own scripts. Acting is fine and all, but sometimes you gotta try something new, y’know?”

“Mhm.” Alexa wasn’t quite sure what to think. Either Forrester was trying to embarrass herself by keeping up an act of being a complete innocent when it came to reality TV, or she really was that stupid. Honestly, she wasn’t sure which one would be funnier. Or more pathetic, really. If it was the latter, she almost felt sorry for her.

Either way, it was clear this was getting dull. There wasn’t much to do while introductions were still going and the actual game had yet to start, and she wasn’t getting anything done here.

She finished off her glass and stood up abruptly. “I’m getting another drink.”

Forrester blinked. “Uh...okay.”

Alexa headed over to the miniature fridge resting against the wall, pulling open the door to take out another wine cooler. She poured it into her glass and sipped it, reveling in the sharp edge to the chilled sweetness of the drink. At least the alcohol here was good. Now, if only Hiro would finish introductions…

* * *

Penny wasn’t sure what to think. When she’d first been approached as a potential contestant for the show, she’d balked. The whole idea sounded like an exercise in secondhand embarrassment, seeing women fall all over themselves to get a man to look at them twice. From what she’d seen of it whenever her mom watched reruns (usually resulting in Bolt watching along with her and barking at certain names), it didn’t look particularly tempting.

But, of course, her mom had to be the one to encourage her to have second thoughts. It was a chance to try something new, something out of her comfort zone--and even if that didn’t mean getting the guy, so what? She’d at least have an experience to talk about. She was used to cameras being on her all the time from when she was a kid, but not all the time into her personal life like reality TV required--and this, unlike her past experiences as a kid, would be temporary. It’d be almost like acting again, but in a different setting and around people who’d be doing the same thing as she was.

The main difference was that Penny had acted before and everyone else presumably hadn’t, but in a setting like this, she wasn’t sure if she could really act like she did when she knew she was playing an entirely fictional character.

It hadn’t been too bad, though. Hiro seemed sweet, and the fanboying moment he’d had about her show was...endearing, in its own weird way. Normally, she’d gotten used to people bringing up the TV show she’d done as a kid when first meeting her to the point of getting a little annoyed about it, but it felt different with Hiro. It felt sincere, and he’d clearly felt bad for freaking out on her like that. It felt like he really did care about her opinion and didn’t see her as just another of the many women chasing after him as required by the rules--not that she’d been expecting him to do the latter, but it was nice to see that he clearly wasn’t.

On the other hand, however, the glances and stares Penny was getting from the other contestants were a bit unsettling. As a former TV star, she was used to getting odd looks--but this felt different, somehow, as if they were sizing her up and finding her wanting. One of them--Alexa, she’d said her name was--had gone so far as to sit next to her and strike up an awkward conversation. Penny still had no clue what to make of that. Had she been trying to intimidate her? Mess with her?

Or maybe she was just being paranoid. She sighed and picked up her glass again, absently tapping at the stem with her fingers. Six weeks, she reminded herself. Only six weeks, and even then, there was no guarantee she’d stay for them all. For all she knew, she’d be out after the first week.

Something about the way Hiro had reacted to her told her that probably wouldn’t be the case, though, and it wasn’t just the fanboying. There seemed to have been something in the way he apologized after it, and she found herself thinking about how it’d seemed like he really cared about her opinion again.

It was only because she was from the show he’d liked, Penny told herself. Once he actually got to know her, all bets were off. She just had to hope for the best, and that her mother had made the right call when encouraging her to jump into this thing.

She already missed Bolt, though. At least she’d be able to call home to hear his barks over the phone, even if that wasn’t the same thing. But he was getting on in years and the vet had instructed her just last month to give him daily doses of medicine for a cough he was getting--he’d also told her it was nothing to worry about, and Bolt was perfectly healthy for a dog his age, and her mom had promised to administer the medicine for her while she was gone, but…

Focus. Right. She had to focus. Bolt was going to be fine. When her mom wasn’t looking after him, Mittens was, and she had nothing to worry about in either case. Penny decided then and there that when she got home, whether from being eliminated or with Hiro in tow, she’d play with Bolt and spoil him as much as possible.

The first thing she had to make sure of when on a date with Hiro, she added on as an afterthought, was whether or not he liked dogs. If he didn’t, well...Penny couldn’t exactly call it an immediate deal breaker, but he’d have to have a lot in the personality department to make her stay after that.

“Oh--uh, hey. Is it okay if I sit here?”

Penny gave a start and looked up to see a girl in purple, her black hair loose and a glass in her hand. Said girl smiled a little ruefully, adding, “It’s, uh, a bit crowded over there.”

She gestured offhandedly with her free hand towards the other side of the room, where the other contestants were clearly congregated together and chattering away. Someone else who wasn’t cut out for crowds, Penny noted. At least she wasn’t alone in that department.

She gave a nod. “Sure, go ahead.”

The other girl’s face broke into a relieved smile before she sat down. “Thanks.”

There was a pause, during which Penny took a sip from her drink and almost spat it out from how unexpectedly sour it was, before the other girl spoke. “I’m Violet, by the way. What’s your name?”

Penny stilled, briefly wondering whether or not to give out her full name on the off chance this was someone who genuinely didn’t recognize her. “I’m, um--Penny.”

Violet was definitely staring at her now. “Are you…? I mean--sorry, for a second I thought--”

“Penny Forrester?” Penny found herself blurting out. “Yeah.”

There was another pause, this one much more awkward and with the addition of Penny being overwhelmed with the urge to run off and hide in a bathroom somewhere for a few hours. Why had she said that? Great job, Penny, not even an hour in and already you’re messing things up.

“You were, uh…” There was a distinct sipping noise before Violet continued. “You were on that show, right? I mean--like, the one with the dog. Bolt, right?”

When Penny didn’t respond, she continued hurriedly, “Not that--not that’s a bad thing or anything! My brother loved that show a lot, I mean like a lot when we were kids and I didn’t really watch it but I thought it was--”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Penny cut her off, and she couldn’t help laughing, just a little, at the panicky look on Violet’s face. “Seriously, don’t worry about it. It’s just--you’re not the first one to talk about that. But it sort of gets old, y’know?”

Violet laughed a bit in return, even if more awkwardly. “Yeah, I get that. I mean, not that I get get that, but--you know what I mean.”

Well, at least that was out of the way. Penny exhaled, something lighter in her already. Maybe she didn’t really have anything to worry about, after all.

“If it’s okay for me to ask, though…” Violet brushed some hair away from her face as she spoke, her voice tentative. “What was it like? Being on a show, I mean. With all the...cameras, and all.”

Penny inclined her head. “It was...kind of scary, at first, but you get used to that sort of thing the more you’re in it. Pretty big stuff for me as a kid, but I liked the chance to pretend to be someone I wasn’t for a while.”

She paused. “Of course, that’s different here.”

Violet shrugged. “Hey, it’s reality TV. Stuff happens, right?”

Penny had to grin at that. “True. But I’d like if it wasn’t that kind of stuff.”

“Tell me about it.” Violet huffed, rolling her eyes and blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. “My mom watches reruns of this show sometimes, and geez, it gets weird on here, I’ll tell you that much.”

“Yours too?” Something about that made Penny feel a bit better, as if it was a reminder that she wasn’t as alone in this as she assumed she would be. “Tell me about it…”

* * *

Hiro could already hear the noise of indistinct chatter as he made his way back towards the mansion, in no small part due to the windows being left open earlier to the warm summer air. He stopped before the door, steeled himself, and opened it.

The effect was instantaneous. All of the girls in the room fell silent and looked at him, the air of anticipation almost overpowering. Hiro forced himself to calm down, his mind completely blanking at what to do or say until his eyes landed on Penny, who was near another girl--Violet, he was pretty sure--with a drink in her hand and staring at him like everyone else.

He walked up to her. “I--uh--can I see you for a minute?”

It came out almost as a ridiculous squeak in his ears. Penny smiled at him, however, and something in him--probably his inner ten-year-old--did a flip. “Um, sure.”

He awkwardly led her out towards the pool area, feeling the stares burning into his back as he did. There was a red loveseat on the patio, which he quickly sat down on and she followed suit.

Hiro took a deep breath. “Okay, so I know I kind of freaked out on you back there. Can we just--is it okay if we try and forget the whole thing and start over?”

“If you really want to, sure.” Penny smiled slightly and sipped a little at her drink before continuing. “But seriously, it’s no big deal. You just surprised me, that’s all.”

“I mean--” Hiro found himself running his hand through his hair. “I’m really sorry about that, though, I honestly thought you were working on a movie or something. Weren’t you going to be in that one reboot thing of, uh, Joanna Indiana?”

He was pretty sure that’d been what it was called. It’d been about a singer doubling as a superhero, and he’d only watched a few episodes as a kid because Penny was in it before dropping it because of how “girly” it was.

“Oh yeah, that?” Penny gave a small laugh. “That was--oh, wow, that was--I should really tell you the whole story sometime, but basically that got canned because the writers couldn’t agree on how it should’ve ended. Probably for the best, since the original plot involved aliens.”

“Aliens?” Hiro laughed. “You’re kidding.”

“Sadly, no,” Penny deadpanned in between sips. “But you get the idea. That was a few months back, so I haven’t really been acting a lot. And I figured Bolt is probably going to be the biggest thing I’ll ever be in anyway.”

“Ah, okay.” Hiro wasn’t sure what else to say, but the ensuing silence didn’t feel as awkward as he expected it to be. It almost felt comfortable. “For what it’s worth, though, I definitely would’ve been first in line to see that movie if it had aliens.”

Penny made a near choking noise on her drink. “Seriously?”

“Hey, what can I say?” Hiro shot her a lazy grin. “Aliens are cool. Like you.”

He regretted the last part the moment it came out. Dammit, Hiro, when will you learn cheesy pickup lines are not the way to go? “I mean, uh--not that you’re like--a martian, or gray with a big head or anyth--shit, can we just forget that? Oh, god, I’m bad at this.”

“No, no, it’s fine!” Penny laughed. “I mean, if it helps, I’ll take that as a compliment. Aliens are pretty neat.”

“Right?” Maybe he wouldn’t screw up this first night as badly as he’d assumed he would. Hiro glanced back at the mansion.

“We should, uh--probably be getting back soon,” he added a little dryly. “They’re probably thinking we’re…”

He was not going to finish that sentence. And he was definitely not looking at Penny’s mouth. Nope.

Penny ducked her head, and in the low lighting, he could have sworn her face hadn’t been that red a minute ago. “Y-yeah. Right. I’ll see you later, Hiro.”

She got up, now empty glass in hand, and started walking ahead without a look back towards the mansion. Hiro followed closely behind, trying to steel himself to focus again.

* * *

There was a wave of whispers and grumbles among the other ladies when Hiro had taken Penny out of the room, and Tip was no exception. Granted, she didn’t really know what was supposed to happen on this show, but for him to single one girl out right off the bat like that? It was a bit odd.

Tip was hearing the others say something about this specific girl...what was her name? Penny? Apparently, she was some kind of celebrity, but Tip sure as heck had never seen or heard of her before. But if this gave Penny an unfair advantage over the rest of them, then Tip could definitely understand why they were so upset. And to be honest, Tip was feeling a little bit jealous herself.

When she’d agreed to do the show, Tip wasn’t so much in it for the guy but more for the adventure. Despite always having been a bold girl, she’d never done much with her life ever since she’d moved here from Barbados when she was 12. She’d jumped at the chance to be on TV, even if it was weird romance-oriented reality TV, but she never thought she’d actually care for the guy.

And well...she wasn’t that into him yet, of course. She’d only just met him. But if she was being honest with herself, she hadn’t gotten the jitters like that over seeing a guy in a really long time. If her chances were going to be ruined because some girl had an unfair advantage, Tip wouldn’t be happy.

She stopped, taking a few deep breaths to calm down, as she’d gotten used to doing over the years. There was no use getting mad about it. She’d just have to step up her game to show Hiro that she was just as good as this celebrity he was so apparently fond of.

And as if on cue, Penny appeared in the room, followed closely by Hiro. Despite the looks being thrown her way, Penny seemed to be grinning, and that just put Tip even more on edge.

As Hiro walked nervously toward the crowd of women though, they all seemed to forget about Penny and turned their excited expressions toward him instead.

“Uh...hey everyone,” he greeted, with that cute lopsided smile again. “How are you doing?”

“Great!” a few of them chirped, while some others giggled. “How are you, Hiro?”

Hiro gave a shrug and tried to walk toward one of the couches, careful not to bump into any of them along the way. He seemed so tense, Tip noticed.

“I mean, I’m alright…” Hiro was saying as he made his way through. “It’s just been a long day is all. Pretty tiring.”

“God, I know, right?” Anna replied, making room for him to sit between herself and Elsa. “I can’t believe they made you stand out there that whole time.”

“It’s fine, really. Anyway, have you ladies gotten the chance to look around? Pretty big place, isn’t it?”

He was only about ten feet away from Tip, but somehow there were several other women between them. Something in her kinda wanted to push them out of the way so she could get closer, but for now she just sat down to observe, to see what she could get by listening to him talk with the others.

After a moment, though, Tip’s gaze began to drift. She started looking some of the other girls up and down, seeing if she could figure out something about them. One of them, a tiny girl in a mint teal dress, was holding something while she spoke and kept looking at it while she was talking. Upon closer inspection Tip noticed that it was a...Nintendo DS? This girl had actually brought video games with her?

...what a great idea. Tip cursed herself for not thinking of that one. That would have been a great distraction whenever she was bored around here.

There was also a red-head with a sketchpad, looking like she was doodling something, and a black-haired girl who almost looked more interested in the mansion than she did in Hiro.

Eventually, Tip’s gaze moved to the girl furthest from Hiro, who surprisingly enough was actually Penny. Of course it was. She’d already gotten the chance to talk with him in private, she could afford to sit back smugly while the rest of them tripped over themselves...Tip immediately stopped herself in her thoughts and took another deep breath. Jealousy won’t do anything to help her. So instead she decided to study to competition.

Penny didn’t seem to notice her staring and was instead looking straight ahead with a tiny smile. She was a fairly petite girl, pale and thin, and the red dress she was wearing draped around her body nicely. Her hair was short, and had an interesting brownish-red color that matched those huge brown eyes of hers perfectly. She was certainly pretty, Tip thought with a flush, and she was famous on top of that.

The jitters were coming back. Suddenly Tip wasn’t so sure she could beat this girl for Hiro’s affections, but she wasn’t about to give up that easily. She quickly tore her gaze away from Penny and turned back to Hiro. He was actually kind of quiet for the moment, allowing the girls to do some talking, probably so he could get to know them better.

As he scanned through the crowd in front of him, his eyes landed on Tip. To her surprise, he smiled a bit and waved at her. Tip felt like her heart was about to fly out of her chest, but instead she somehow managed to smile and wave back. Her eyes were still glued to him long after he had looked away.

Sheesh. She couldn’t take this much pressure on her nerves, especially on the first night. Between Hiro giving her butterflies and Penny giving her jitters, she wasn’t sure if she would be able to survive this thing.

* * *

“I could already see Anna tense up and get nervous when he went and took Penny aside,” Elsa confessed to the camera. “Actually, not just her, a lot of people were freaking out. I tried not to let it get to me, but I admit I’m nervous. It’s like he already knows her, and that’s a bit...uhhhh…”

* * *

“I swear to God, if Penny Forrester wins this thing, I’m going to...shit, I don’t even know,” Alexa snapped at the confessional. “What I’m saying is, she’d better not win.”

* * *

Vanellope watched the conversation unfold with a sigh. She’d been hoping to get a few more words in with Hiro, but the way he was being surrounded right now, it was obvious she’d have to wait until later. For now, she retreated to a separate area of the room, where she pulled out her DS and started playing a few rounds of Sugar Rush.

She had no idea how long she’d been playing, when she suddenly sensed that people were watching. Vanellope blinked a bit and looked up, to see a couple of ladies staring in her direction, and to her surprise, Hiro had somehow made his way over and was staring over her shoulder at the game. Vanellope felt her heart skip a beat, but she tried not to let him see how nervous she was.

Hiro grinned sheepishly at being caught, and he slowly sat down next to her (followed closely by some other girls of course). “Hey,” he greeted with a smile. “Uh, what are you playing?”

“Oh, just something I brought along,” Vanellope shrugged, gripping her DS tightly. “You know, just in case I get bored.”

“Ah, I see,” he replied. “Planning ahead, huh?”

“Well, even in a mansion, there’s only so long I can go without my video games, Hiro.”

Hiro chuckled, and Vanellope considered that an achievement considering how tired he seemed otherwise.

But of course, the moment had to be ruined by another girl sitting nearby. A short young woman with purple-streaked hair leaned over and studied Vanellope’s game for a moment. “What game is that?” she asked.

Vanellope hesitated for a second, then shrugged. “It’s uh...Sugar Rush. You know, like Mario Kart, but with candy.”

The other woman nodded. “Racing game?”

“Yeah.”

A third girl, one with blond hair and pink glasses, giggled at this. “GoGo’s addicted to racing games,” she said, nodding to her friend. “Whenever she sees one, she has to play it.”

“I do not,” GoGo rolled her eyes.

Vanellope smiled slightly and held up the DS. “You can play a round if you want,” she told GoGo. “Just don’t break it. Or, you know, beat my high score.”

GoGo seemed surprised, but smirked and accepted it. “No promises.”

With that, Vanellope turned back to Hiro, who was watching this whole exchange go down. She grinned at him. “So.”

He turned to her. “So.”

“You managed to get away from the horde, huh?”

He smirked and rolled his eyes. “Hey, they’re not that bad,” he paused, as some other girls got curious and headed over, starting to surround him slowly again. One of them--named Kay, probably--plopped herself down at his other side.

Hiro kept his attention on Vanellope for now. “But anyway. How are you doing…?”

He sounded as if he had no idea what to say or what he was doing, and that really made Vanellope feel a bit more relaxed. She giggled. “Well, you know, I got to ride in a limo all day, and now I’m in a sweet mansion with you, so I’d say I’m pretty good.”

Hiro was smiling, but Vanellope noticed some frowns coming from the others, so she took the opportunity to flash them a sweet smile and add, “Oh, and you guys too. You’re great too.”

Some of the girls laughed, but more of them sent scoffs and eyerolls her way, and oddly enough that made her feel satisfied. She turned back to Hiro, but he was busy listening to something Kay was saying.

Vanellope frowned slightly. “Ahem?”

Kay looked up and flashed a sweet smile her way. “Oh? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“It’s...fine.”

At that point, GoGo gave an audible sigh and handed the DS back to Vanellope. Vanellope waited for her to say something, but instead she just popped her bubble gum and leaned on the couch. So Vanellope just shrugged and started up a new race.

Hiro’s attention had been dragged away by some of the others, but his gaze kept drifting back to Vanellope and her game. Vanellope grinned, and took the oppurtunity hand it over to him. “You wanna play a round?”

Hiro looked surprised and seemed to completely drop his conversations with the others. “Can I?”

“Yeah. Same rules as before, though, don’t beat my high score.”

He nodded and took the DS from her hands, prompting literally everyone to scuttle in closer and watch, Vanellope being the closest of all. Racing games didn’t seem to be Hiro’s forte, but Vanellope and GoGo were giving him tips as he went, and he looked like he was concentrating really hard.

...They probably looked really ridiculous, Vanellope realized. A bunch of adults in formal wear crowding around a video game like schoolchildren. And it was kinda her fault. Oops (she didn’t actually feel bad about it though).

When Hiro was done, he handed the console back to her with a smile, and it seemed like he was having an easier time talking to the girls after that. Who knew a video game was all it took to break the ice?

Vanellope would have tried to get another word in, but she was satisfied for now. She’d done her part for the night, and now it was time to see how the rest of the week would unfold.

* * *

"I was hoping there wouldn't be too much competition on the first night," Anna sighed to the camera. "But I guess that was wishful thinking. Between Penny, and Vanellope, I don't know who to be worried about most."

She paused. "Well, at least it will be easier when the dates start. I think. I hope..."

* * *

“I think all of us were pretty pissed with ourselves for not being as clever as Vanellope,” Astrid snickered to the camera. “But whatever, I like that these girls are bringing it on during the first night. Makes it more of a challenge, you know what I mean?”

* * *

Tip wasn’t really paying attention to where she was going as she rounded the corner, barreling right into a taller young lady and knocking her over.

At the sudden contact, Tip stopped and gave a slight gasp. “Oh, geez, sorry!” she said. “I didn’t see you…”

The other woman stood back up with a smile, and Tip felt a slight surge of nervousness when she realized it was Penny. The redhead didn’t look mad, however and sent a warm smile in Tip’s direction. “That’s ok,” she told her. “Don’t worry about it.”

Tip nodded, but as Penny walked away she called out to her again. “Hey, hold on...can I ask you something?”

Penny stopped. “Um, sure?”

Tip paused, hesitating (though she wasn’t sure why), then asked, “So...a lot of people here seem to know you? They said you were famous or something.”

A wave of...was it fear?...passed through Penny’s expression and she shrugged. “Sort of? They just know me from a TV show I did when I was young.”

“You were on TV?”

“I-it was a long time ago…” Penny sighed. “You know the show Bolt?”

Tip blinked.

“The one about the super-powered dog? With the spy girl?”

Tip shook her head. “Never heard of it, sorry.”

Penny slowly nodded her head and her shoulders seemed to sag with relief. “That’s ok. It was just a show for kids, anyway. I was only a kid myself.”

“Ah, that explains it,” Tip replied. “I spent most of my childhood in Barbados, I don’t know about many American kids’ shows.”

“Oh. Okay.” Penny giggled. “Well, at least not everyone around here sees me as the ultimate enemy.” She looked over at Tip as she said this, as if for confirmation.

Tip had to admit she felt bad for her. Penny was probably feeling just as nervous as everybody else around here, and her recognizable face probably wasn’t helping. Heck, even the people who didn’t recognize her seemed to be antagonizing the poor girl, that even Tip had felt nervous about her. But...well, maybe that just wasn’t fair. Tip sighed. “Yeah, of course. You’re just another contestant, that’s all.”

Penny nodded. “Yeah. Exactly. Anyway, I’ll see you around, um…?”

“Tip.”

“See you later, Tip.”

“See ya, Penny.”

* * *

GoGo popped her bubblegum again as she leaned on a couch behind Honey Lemon, surveying the scene without a word. She'd guessed that the first night would be awkward and hectic, and she'd been right. Half the girls were trying to talk to him all at once, while the other half were waiting their turn or were just too shy to approach him in front of the others. Hiro seemed like an okay guy, sure, but GoGo sure didn't want to be a part of that mess.

"Aren't you going to try to talk to him?" Honey whispered from where she was sitting.

"I don't think I could if I tried," GoGo gestured to the crowd. Hiro had somehow found himself sitting between Elsa and Anna once more, and that was probably the only reason he wasn't being overrun by the others. The sisters seemed to form a protective bubble around him, with Elsa's authoritative demeanor and Anna's loud, commanding presence.

"Still," Honey Lemon whispered back. "I think you could get his attention if you tried. I think you guys have a lot in common."

GoGo smirked down at her. "I think I'll save that for the dates--and besides, why are you trying to help me? Aren't we rivals?"

Honey Lemon giggled and nodded, but she let it go after that.

So instead of trying to butt her way in, GoGo took the opportunity to study the competition. There were a few loud and bubbly ones, like Anna, and then there were others that seemed quieter, like herself. That Vanellope girl with the video game seemed pretty cool, and for GoGo, she probably seemed like the one to be most worried about. There was Penny too, of course, but at the moment she was seated quietly in the back. To be honest, GoGo wasn't all that worried about Penny, at least not as much as everyone else seemed to be. But then again, GoGo was a big fan of Bolt when she was young, and that made it hard to hate the girl.

The vocal ones were probably the other worries she had. Some of them were willing to get excited over anything, and then there were people like Merida, who only seemed to want to talk about sports (specifically archery for some reason). GoGo wouldn't really classify them as annoying, though that could change after she had to live with them for six weeks.

There was one, however, that she could definitely call annoying right off the bat. The one named Cat. Good Lord, that girl knew how to lay it on thick.

"Oh Hiro, you're _soooo_ smart," she would say, over and over whenever he said something remotely smart. And when the poor guy tripped over his words in his nervousness, she'd follow it up with "Hiro, you're _sooooo_ funny!"

More than once, GoGo found herself exchanging glances with Elsa, Astrid and even Kay whenever Cat made a comment like that. She was a real kiss-up, but who knows? Maybe Hiro was into that.

As for Hiro, though...there was something that was bugging GoGo about him. Slowly, she leaned down to Honey Lemon and whispered, "Does he seem kinda familiar to you? I feel like I've met him before."

Honey looked surprised. "Well, he's famous, GoGo, you've probably seen has face all over the place."

"No, I mean, like...he looks like someone I know, I think. But I don't know who."

Honey Lemon frowned as she stared up at her friend. "Hmmmm, no...I don't think so."

"I'm probably just tired, then." GoGo sighed and leaned forward on the couch once more, popping her gum louder than before.

* * *

"Some of these girls have no class," Kay sighed to the camera. "I mean, they only just met him and they're all over him. That's not exactly a good first impression." She laughed slightly and pushed her hair out of the way. "Oh well. Hiro's probably smart enough to see through that. I'm sure he'll easily figure out who the best girls are around here."

* * *

After another hour or two, Hiro felt himself winding down. A brief glance over the crowd informed him that several of the ladies were feeling the same way, though there were several others who looked as lively as ever.

As for him, though, he decided that maybe this was enough. Anna's soft hand on his shoulder and the concerned looks in his direction indicated that he looked just as tired as he felt.

Hiro gave them all a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry, everyone, it's just...been a long day, you know. I'm thinking I might turn in early."

"Aww!" Mavis pouted slightly. "But the night's just barely getting started..."

"Leave him alone, let the man rest," Elsa replied softly.

Hiro nodded gratefully in her direction. "Don't worry, though, we'll see each other again soon." He got up and stretched, a little wary of their eyes still on him. "So, uh...good night guys."

"Good night, Hiro!" Honey replied.

"Sleep well!" Rapunzel added.

There were a few more goodbyes, along with some disappointed groans, as Hiro finally broke off from the group and headed up to his room.

The room he'd been given was definitely larger than what he was used to, but still had an oddly cosy feel to it. A king-size bed on the left side, a table and chair on the right, and some stuff in between that Hiro was too tired to really look at. He took off his shoes and flopped himself down on the (ridiculously comfy--seriously, it was like laying on a cloud) bed, allowing himself to finally relax.

God, what a day. Maybe it was from standing around all day in dress shoes, or maybe from the mental stress of juggling all those girls' attention, but he felt bone tired. And it was only night one! Hiro let out another sigh as he slowly relaxed into the bed. He should probably get changed out of his clothes, but honestly, he was too lazy. He's get clean clothes tomorrow morning, no big deal.

He was feeling himself starting to fall asleep, when suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Hiro?" Fred's voice could be heard from outside. "You in there, buddy?"

Hiro groaned, but forced himself out of bed and open the door. Wasabi and Fred were standing outside, grinning until they saw Hiro's disheveled state.

"Oh," Wasabi said. "Did we wake you?"

"No, uh...I wasn't asleep yet," Hiro replied, running a hand through his hair.

"We just came to check on you," said Fred. "How'd it go with the girls?"

"It was good..."

"Who'd you give the rose to?"

Hiro blinked. "Rose?"

"Yeah," Fred continued. "First Impression rose. You give it to the one who...made the best first impression."

"Oh crap...I forgot."

"If you're tired, we can deliver it for you," Wasabi suggested. "But just this once, you'll have to give out the rest on your own."

"Thanks," Hiro replied groggily. He excused himself for a moment to pick up the flower that he’d been given, then paused. Who was he even going to give it to?

The young man tried to think through the sleepiness clouding his mind. _Let’s see...some of them are more quiet than others. People like Honey and Anna were really sweet, and then there were girls like Astrid or GoGo, whose faces you could barely read, and they were always blunt. They were all so different from each other. And then of course there was Penny, but...hmmm..._

Hiro sighed and walked back out to the door.

“So?” Fred asked curiously. “Who’s the lucky recipient?”

Hiro blinked slowly. “Um...how about...Vanellope?”

Wasabi frowned slightly at his unsure tone. “Why her?”

Hiro shrugged. “She let me play her video game and that’s cool.”

Fred laughed, and Wasabi rolled his eyes. “Hiro...you’re 22 years old…” Then he sighed. “Ok, fine, it’s your choice. She’s still downstairs, so we’ll leave this in her room for you.”

Hiro’s heart skipped a beat. How would Vanellope react when she found it in her room? Heck, how would any of these girls react when he gave them roses? It was too much for his tired brain to think about right now. “Right, thanks…” he murmured. “See you tomorrow…”

“Good night, Hiro.”

* * *

 _“Aaaaaaaaaaaah, look!! Look what I found!”_ Vanellope could barely contain her excitement as she waved the rose up to the camera. She was clearly tired, but extremely excited nonetheless. “I mean, it would have been nice if he delivered it in person, but...oh, well! God, I was so surprised, I thought he’d already given it to someone else, and then I get to my room and find _this_ \--”

She paused, realizing how loud she was, then giggled. “I mean, I don’t want to get my hopes up too early or anything, but...I think I’ve got a pretty good chance.”


	4. Date 1: Vanellope

The envelope was on the table the next morning, waiting to be opened. By the time Vanellope had gotten up, almost everyone else was crowding around the coffee table in the living room and chattering away. The “almost” was in the forms of Merida, Astrid, Audrey, and GoGo, who looked like they’d been woken up by all the noise and would rather be back in bed. Merida was talking in low tones with Astrid on the couch, occasionally broken off with a laugh between the two of them, while Audrey seemed more interested in her tea at the coffee table than the date invitation and GoGo was blowing large pink bubbles of gum, her eyes closed, in her reclining on a beanbag.

“Well, what’s everyone waitin’ for?” Vanellope said loudly in between a few yawns. “C’mon, someone open it!”

“It’s definitely gonna be Penny,” Alexa sneered. “So why bother?”

Penny only raised an eyebrow, while Vanellope rolled her eyes. Not even more than a day in and drama was still brewing. _“Seriously?_ We don’t even know yet, for crying out loud! C’mon, someone just take it so we can get this over with.”

Without prompting from anyone else, Penny reached forward and snatched up the envelope. She paused dramatically, waiting until everyone’s eyes were on her, before opening it and taking out the paper.

 _“Vanellope,”_ she read. _“I’ll be your player two if you’re my player one.”_

Vanellope stopped moving in shock for a moment, but then a huge smile spread across her face. "It...it's me!" She squealed. "I'm first!"

The others seemed a bit disappointed, Kay in particular looking like she’d swallowed a lemon, but then a few of the more outgoing ones gave her a smile.

"Aww, well...have fun, Vanellope!" Honey Lemon called.

"Yeah, but not too much fun," Mavis teased. "Save some for the rest of us!"

Vanellope giggled and skipped out of the room, eager to get ready for her date. She cockily waved the envelope in Alexa’s face as she left--Vanellope wasn't usually one for gloating much, but Alexa was an exception.

Alexa rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she sneered, as some of the other girls tried to suffice their giggles.

* * *

“I mean…” Margo admitted in her confessional. “Most of us wanted to be first, so it was kinda disappointing, but…” she smiled. “And besides, we’ll all get our chance, right…?”

* * *

“I can’t believe it,” Alexa grumbled in her own confessional. “What's so special about her, anyway? She gets her First Impression rose, and then he picks her first for a one-on-one?? It's so unfair!”

* * *

“You should’ve seen the look on Alexa’s face,” Vanellope snickered in her confessional. “Pure gold. But, uh…” she gulped slightly. “I'm still kinda surprised that he picked me first. I hope I don't mess things up…”

* * *

Vanellope shook her leg anxiously as the limo turned yet another street. She really had no idea where they were going, and if she didn’t find out soon, she felt like she’d end up yelling at the driver to hurry up.

Luckily, she didn’t need to, because at last the vehicle slowed to a stop. Vanellope looked out her window, grinning widely when she spotted the flashing lights of the arcade, and Hiro waiting for her outside the door. Before even waiting to be let out, the girl hopped out of the car and bounced up and down a couple times, before running up to her date.

“Hey,” Hiro greeted as he observed her energetic bouncing. “Good to see you again.”

“Same to you!” Vanellope chirped. “This place looks pretty wicked!” She turned to him with a laugh. “Of course you’d bring me to an arcade.”

Hiro shrugged. “Ah, well, you did bring your DS along, so...I figured you were into video games, right?”

Vanellope giggled. “Of course. You’re pretty observant, Hiro.” she said, nudging him slightly.

Hiro chuckled and held out a hand to the door. “Th-thanks...anyway, shall we?”

The couple headed inside, with the cameras following their every move, catching the attention of those who were already in the arcade. Vanellope took no notice of the stares and instead became more excited now that she was seeing all the games up close. This place was so much better than the arcades they had back home!

* * *

"Of course it had to be Vanellope." Kay rolled her eyes at the camera, blowing a strand of perfectly coiffured blonde hair out of her face. "First Impression rose, and all that. So predictable, but whatever."

* * *

As soon as they were ready, Vanellope took Hiro by the arm and wandered slowly inside, exploring all the different machines and trying to decide which one to try first.

Hiro tensed up a bit when she held his arm, but didn’t really resist. “So, uh...what do you want to do first?”

“Oooh, I don’t know,” Vanellope replied. “All of these look fun--wait! How about that one?”

Hiro looked in the direction she was pointing. “Sugar Rush? Isn’t that…?”

“Yeah,” said Vanellope. “That’s the game I like to play on my DS, but I heard the arcade version is so much cooler!”

Hiro smiled. “Ok, then let’s go try it out.”

They headed over and sat down, with Hiro inserting the quarters for both of them.

“This is gonna be great,” Vanellope said excitedly. “I used to play tons of racing games back home--nobody was able to beat me.”

Hiro took note of her cheeky grin and smiled back. “Is that so? Well, let’s see if I can break that winning streak.”

“Good luck,” she giggled.

Much to Hiro’s dismay, Vanellope hadn’t been bluffing--despite claiming that this was her first time playing this arcade game, she seemed to know all the tricks and maneuvers, and she beat him by a landslide. There was no way he could win this race against her, she was practically at home here.

“I win!” she called happily, after winning for the second time. “Wanna play again?”

Hiro raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know. I sure don’t want to keep losing, that’s for sure.”

She giggled. “Oh, ok. We can do something else now. What other games are there?”

“I think I know a good one,” Hiro smirked. He stood up and pointed to another machine in the corner, grinning at Vanellope as they walked toward it. “You may be an expert in racing, Vanellope, but let’s see how you fare in my area of expertise.”

Vanellope looked up at the game in surprise. “Bot-fighting?” A smile crossed her face.

Hiro grinned widely. “Yyyyep. This stuff was my childhood…” he lowered his voice and leaned over to Vanellope. “...and I don’t just mean the video game either.”

Vanellope’s eyes widened. “Wait, you used to bot-fight for real?”

“Shhh, it’s a secret.”

She giggled. “Oh wow, Hiro. I didn’t know you were such a bad boy,” she said with a wink.

Hiro blushed a bit at this comment, but didn’t let it deter him as he picked up a controller. “Pft. Don’t try to distract me, Vanellope--I can win this game with my eyes closed.”

“Prove it,” she smirked.

Hiro grinned right back, but set his concentration on the game at hand--he hadn't actually been planning on playing with his eyes closed, but since the cameras were watching, he pretty much had to do it. It was okay though, because either way, Vanellope didn't stand a chance. He'd been through so many of these fights before that a video game version was a walk in the park.

Vanellope set down her controller in frustration when she lost for the third time. "Damn," she whispered. "You really can do it blind."

"One more round?"

"Nah, I think I get the point," she replied with a nudge. "You've got me owned in the robot department."

Hiro shrugged. "Guess we're just good at different things, huh?"

"That's a good thing, right?" Vanellope asked with another flirty smirk. "Balance. We'd make a good team."

"Heh. Yeah..."

* * *

Marys was sitting on one of the comfortable couches, not relaxing at all. She considered herself lucky that nobody was using the TV when she found it, as there was nothing else she could use to cure her current boredom and anxiety. She had no idea what she was supposed to be doing right now. She’d watched a few seasons of The Bachelor before, and they’d never really showed what the contestants were up to when the Bachelor was out on a date--she’d always assumed they were partying or talking crap about the women he was currently with, but none of that was happening. Instead, everyone was scattered about the huge mansion, lying around lazily or trying out one of the various recreational activities. One thing was for sure, though: everyone was bored out of their minds. Were they just supposed to wait here until they got back? How many times would they have to do that?

One of the other contestants--was her name Riley?--was lying on a beanbag nearby. A few times she had tried to call out to Marys, just to talk, but Marys had brushed her off with a shrug or a nod until Riley eventually gave up. Marys didn’t really feel like talking to any of them, especially considering that they were all in this to get Hiro’s attention. They might be all nice when he wasn’t around, but who knows how they would be once he got back from his date.

Marys heaved a sigh. Jeez, the guy wasn’t even in the mansion and she was jealous of the others. She honestly didn’t want to think too much about Hiro being on a date with someone other than her. Maybe it was petty, since this is what he was supposed to be doing, and it was silly to get jealous over this guy she only just met, but...well, she couldn’t help it.

Something about Hiro had just caught her attention as soon as she saw him. Maybe it was that nervous gapped-tooth smile, or the way he seemed to be shifting nervously despite the fact that he was the last person being judged around here...it was oddly charming. She’d heard about Hiro Hamada before, the boy prodigy, the inventor, someone she aspired to be like, but she’d never expected him to be this way in person, so...ah, what was it, exactly? She couldn’t put it into words, she just felt like he was someone she wanted to spend time with. Someone she wanted to herself. Was that petty? Probably.

“Helloooo??”

Marys flinched at the sound of someone calling out to her. Snapping out of her thoughts, she looked up to see Riley again, along with a few other girls looking at her expectantly.

She flushed in embarrassment. “Um, sorry...were you talking to me?”

One of the others, an excitable redhead (Anna?) flashed her a smile. “Yeah. We were just gonna play a game of Go Fish, you wanna join us?”

Marys stared back at them in confusion. She didn’t really feel like playing a game with her...competitors, but what other option did she have? She was bored as hell.

She shrugged and got up to join them. “I...guess so.”

The game started off quietly, all of them taking their turns like clockwork, until Riley started getting all antsy again. “God, it’s so boring around here.”

“I know, right?” Another one (Tip?) agreed. “At least they could let us go online or something.”

“Hey, come on, we’ve got all these games we can play, right?” Anna replied. “Don’t spend time all by yourselves…”

Marys shrugged. “Well, I mean…” she mumbled. “I guess some people don’t wanna hang out with the other contestants, since we’re supposed to be competing, you know…”

“Yeah, but Hiro isn’t here right now,” Tip nudged her cheekily. “We can do whatever we want.”

Despite her mood, as well as her uncertain feelings toward the others, Marys couldn’t help but snicker at her comment. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

It was quiet for a little while longer, and Marys mused. “I wonder how the date is going…”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She thought to herself. That’s the worst subject I can bring up right now. Also, can’t I quit thinking about Hiro for one damn second??

But the others didn’t seem fazed by it. “Hopefully terrible,” Anna joked, to which she received a shove from her sister. “What? I’m joking!”

She turned to the others. “I mean, we’re all just trying to impress the guy, right? Forget about everyone else and let things happen the way they do.”

There were murmurs of agreement. Marys nodded along with them. Anna had a point. They were all in this together, there was no point in hating each other. Things would happen however they would happen.

...She was still a bit jealous, though.

* * *

After about a couple more hours of gaming, the couple decided it was time to do something else.

"I'm kinda hungry..." Vanellope said.

"We can go get something to eat," Hiro suggested. "I saw a pizza place across the street while I was waiting. And an ice cream place too."

Vanellope grinned. "Life is short--let's just eat ice cream!"

Hiro laughed, and led his date outside the arcade at last. They headed into the ice cream parlor across the street, where they both got their treats (Vanellope got an excessive amount of toppings in hers), and sat down at a table.

It was quiet for a moment while they munched on their snacks. Vanellope licked her spoon thoughtfully, studying Hiro for a second, before she finally began to speak.

"So, uh..." she began. "I'm just curious, Hiro...why'd you pick me first?"

Hiro blinked in surprise, then shrugged. "Ummmm...I dunno. Guess you just seemed, uh unique?"

She giggled. "What do you mean?"

"You know," Hiro replied "All the others came in all polite and stuff, and you just go and pop out a DS." He laughed. "It was just interesting, is all. I just...wanted to get to know you better."

Vanellope shrugged sheepishly. "Awww. Thanks." Then she frowned for a moment. "Get to know me, huh? Ok, let's see...uh, I grew up in a pretty small town, I think there were only like, twelve other kids..." she chuckled. "It was one of those places where everyone likes to do the same thing, and the mayor was this crazy guy who tried to hold all these events like we were the greatest town ever--so there was plenty to do."

She frowned. "I...don't think the other kids really liked me though."

Hiro stared at her curiously. "How come?"

"I don't know. I guess I was kind of a troublemaker, but...they never really let me hang out with them. I didn't really act like the rest of them, so they treated me like I didn't belong."

Hiro winced. "Oh. Yeah, I know how that feels."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean...I was skipping grades all the time, and when you're the smallest kid in the class..."

Vanellope nodded slowly. "I bet they were all just jealous of you."

"That's what my brother said." He paused for a moment, then smiled again. "And hey, look at you--I bet all those kids from your hometown are freaking out right now, seeing you on TV, kicking my butt in Sugar Rush."

"Ha!" Vanellope laughed. "You have a good point. They were always mad when I beat them at the arcades..."

They chuckled, finishing up their ice cream at last and heading out the door.

Hiro checked the time and frowned. "Well, uh...I guess that's it. I have to go now."

"Aww," Vanellope frowned. "Well, I guess I'll see you soon, right?"

"Yeah. I, uh...had a lot of fun with you, Vanellope."

"So did I."

They stood there awkwardly for a moment, while Vanellope stared at him expectantly.

Hiro then blinked in remembrance. "Oh, sorry! Uh, th-this is for you."

He hastily pulled out the rose he'd been saving and handed it to her, as gracefully as he could manage after the previous awkwardness.

Vanellope giggled with relief and accepted the gift. "Thank you, Hiro." She gave him a small kiss on the cheek, causing him to blush a bit in embarrassment, and turned to leave.

* * *

“I, uh...messed up the rose line, didn't I?” Hiro chuckled, glancing at the camera slightly, still not used to the whole confessional thing. “Yeah, I guess this isn't really my area of expertise, you know...I mess up my words sometimes.” He cleared his throat. “But...aside from that, I...think it went smoothly. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing her again.”

* * *

“It was awesome!” Vanellope squealed in her confessional later. “I was afraid he’d think I was childish or that I was laying in on too thick with my life story, but...it turns out we actually have a lot in common!”

  
She fingered the rose in her hand thoughtfully. “Plus it doesn't hurt that he's super cool...and you know, cute.” She giggled. “Now let’s just hope I can beat the competition.” She gave a wink to the camera, and that was that.


End file.
